A great story, Collins isn't NFL MVP

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's funny how the MVP brushfire works. One commentator mentions Kerry Collins and all the sudden he's part of the national conversation.

Kerry Collins is great guy and a fantastic story. He's playing a smart and efficient brand of quarterback. And while I still don't expect the Titans to make a serious bid at 16-0, I have reached the point where I don't think it's ridiculous to consider the possibility.

But Collins is not on track to be the league MVP, and that his name is coming up suggest to me an unwillingness by some to take a deep enough look at the Titans.

It's not so simple as picking the quarterback on the league's best team (or the AFC's best team if you remain convinced the Giants, with one loss, are better than the undefeated Titans).

I mean no offense at all, but Collins isn't close to the most valuable player on his team, better yet in the league. The super-disruptive defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth keys the defense, which keys the Titans. And the guy who's transformed the offense isn't the backup-turned-starter at quarterback, it's the rookie running back lining up behind him.

Chris Johnson is dictating the way the Titans are being defended. And when teams have sold out to slow him down or limit the possibility of him outrunning their defense - Chicago wasn't the first, Baltimore and Indianapolis did pretty well at it too - Collins can make the throws to take advantage of coverages that are more willing to take their chances against Bo Scaife, Justin Gage and Brandon Jones.

Collins deserves huge credit for his role in what's going on in Nashville.

Wins are the most important number, and he's collecting those at an impressive pace.

But a quarterback with as many touchdown passes as Detroit's Dan Orlovsky (five), a completion percentage lower than rookie Joe Flacco's (59.3 as compared to 62.1) and a passer rating (78.8) not even five points better than the benched J.T. O'Sullivan shouldn't be getting MVP votes.



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